


out here in the desert

by TheOtherOdinson



Category: Guardians of the Galaxy (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe, Angst, Drama, M/M, here sails forth this tiny ship, loki & ronan are in this fic so expect to see some violence and death, loki/ronan should be a tag, they will be when i'm done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-20
Updated: 2017-02-27
Packaged: 2018-04-10 08:48:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4385492
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOtherOdinson/pseuds/TheOtherOdinson
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Ronan the Accuser seeks out Thanos, it's in hopes for an alliance. He was not expecting to encounter a fascinating stranger along the way. Loki. What a beautiful name.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So here's this Loki/Ronan fic I've been working on for what feels like forever. This was ship born from [this post ](http://theotherodinson.tumblr.com/post/120317046824/since-i-just-reblogged-a-manip-of-it-au-where) a while back. I have no clue where this ship will take us, but hope it'll be a fun ride. This is an alternate universe where Loki never left Thanos' company and was still in Sanctuary when Ronan showed up seeking an alliance. Questions about how the timelines match up will be met with a loud "ssshhhhhh!!" and a hand wave.

"I will consider your offer, Kree."

When Thanos turned his back to him, Ronan knew he'd been dismissed. He did not need to be informed of it by Thanos' loathsome servant hovering nearby. He turned and started away before the foul creature could speak. Though he had not been given the answer he sought - yet - Ronan was satisfied with the meeting. Thanos seemed amenable to the idea of an alliance.

Ronan held no illusions that any alliance struck between them would represent a genuine partnership. If Thanos agreed to Ronan's offer, it would be because the Titan saw an opportunity to use him for his own purposes. After all, Ronan intended the same.

There was no choice in the matter. His government was going to make peace with Xandar. Ronan's sources informed him the treaty was all but signed.

Peace. With the Xandarians. The very notion churned his stomach with cold rage. That his leaders could even entertain the notion proved they were weak and unfit to lead his people. After Ronan saw Xandar wiped from existence, he would use his triumph as a rallying cry to all Kree to rise up and embrace their true path.

Ronan would see all his people's enemies destroyed. He would not be thwarted. He would remind all who had forgotten what it was to be Kree. Any who dared oppose him would burn.

As his long stride ate up the ground, he caught movement off to his side. A presence gone unnoticed. Ronan stopped. There was a man staring out at him from the shadows. Ronan did not recognize his species. He was not Kree, though his colour could almost pass as such save for the strange lines that ran across his skin. Ronan caught and held his gaze. The man went still when he realized he'd been noticed. His eyes...

His eyes burned as red as the second sun of Ronan's homeland. And every bit as beautiful.

They stared at one another for but moment. Ronan opened his mouth to speak when Thanos' servant appeared at the stranger's side. Ronan could not hear what was said, only see those eyes turn away from him as the man stalked away, swallowed back up in the shadows.

In the next breath the Other was standing before Ronan. "You can see yourself away," the creature hissed. "If Thanos wishes to see you again, he will summon you."

Ronan went.

 

*** * * * ***

 

Ronan was summoned mere days after departing from Sanctuary. He returned quickly, only to have Thanos make him wait a full day before seeing him. 

When he was finally granted his audience, Ronan caught a glimpse of the stranger with the eyes that reminded his of his home in passing as he was being led to Thanos. Ronan very carefully did not strike the Other down for prodding him to continue walking when Ronan slowed, hoping to meet the stranger's eyes again. The stranger ignored him.

Ronan listened as the Titan laid out the terms of their agreement. His one - and only - attempt at negotiating terms was met with a stoney glare from Thanos and the Other snarling at Ronan for his impertinence for daring to interrupt his master.

He remained silent after that, committing the details to memory as Thanos tasked him with locating one ancient, lost artifact. Once he found it and brought it to Thanos, then, and only then, would Thanos help him destroy Xandar. 

Ronan accepted the offer without hesitation.

He wondered at what sort of artifact this could be, that Thanos could covet it and yet could not - or would not - find it himself. Ronan was unconcerned. He had great resources available to him, on his ship and elsewhere. He had no doubt he could locate this Orb in due time.

As Ronan left Thanos' presence, he was watchful of his surroundings in case the stranger was again nearby hidden in shadow.

Ronan was oddly disappointed when he didn't see him.

 

*** * * * ***

 

Months passed by before Ronan was summoned back to Sanctuary once again. This time he was led to Thanos by one of the Titan's daughters, Gamora. She stayed at his side as Ronan stood before her father.

The stranger was also present. He was positioned off Thanos' right, unobstrusive, but where he could be seen by all. He stood with his back straight, chin tilted up, mouth pressed in a tight line. Eyes looking straight ahead. On Ronan's approach, the stranger glanced his way briefly then again stared ahead. Ronan followed his line of sight. He saw nothing.

No longer half-lost in darkness, Ronan could see this stranger more clearly. He was tall and solidly built, but still smaller than Ronan, as most were. Ronan was a large man even amongst the Kree. The stranger's dark hair was swept away from his face, mostly covering the stiff, high-necked collar of his otherwise plain garb. Ronan could easily see the lines on his face now, the half-circles nested into one another on his forehead and straighter lines that ran along his sharp, high cheekbones and chin. They were lovely to look at. Ronan wondered as to their meaning.

"Why have you summoned me?" Ronan directed his question to Thanos as he dragged his eyes away from his stranger.

"I seem to recall it is you who came to me seeking an alliance. In that you swore to bring me that which I seek to gain my favour."

"I hold true to my word."

"I cannot help but notice you have yet to bring me anything of value. I wonder how is it that so many seek to court my favor, yet fail so miserably in proving to be of use."

Ronan stiffened. The artifact was proving more difficult to find than he'd initially thought. He'd set countless scholars to work on tracing its history and had already sent out four expeditions to follow clues to its location. Each one had returned empty-handed. His own frustration with the lack of results was growing. "I will not fail," he said. "I will bring you the lost Orb you seek. After which, I expect you will live up to your end of our agreement."

"Bring me the Orb and in return I will destroy Xandar. As agreed."

Ronan felt eyes on him. The stranger was watching him.

"Gamora will go with you to aid in the search." Thanos did not look at her as he spoke.

Gamora, Ronan noted, did not react.

"I do not require her assistance, though I thank you for the offer," Ronan said.

"What makes you believe it was an offer? Gamora is going with you. Do not fail me. Either of you." Thanos began turning away, his usual signal of dismissal.

Ronan stepped forward. "Thanos, you bring one who is unknown to me to attend this meeting and yet you do not introduce him."

Thanos turned back and stared at Ronan without expression.

Ronan stared back, unmoved. "Is he another of your children?"

Thanos released an unexpected bark of laughter. A harsh, pitiless sound.

Ronan held firm. The stranger's flinch was barely noticeable.

"How unhospitable of me," Thanos mocked. "Ronan, this is Loki. He is... _a guest_. Loki, meet Ronan. Now remove yourself from my sight." Thanos turned his back on all of them.

The stranger - Loki - walked quickly in his direction. Ronan straightened, pushing his shoulders back, prepared to offer him a greeting. Loki strode past him without looking at him. Ronan hurried after him, leaving Gamora in his wake.

"Wait! I would speak with you."

Loki ignored him.

"Wait!" Ronan reached out and grabbed hold of his arm.

Loki wrenched himself out of his grip at once, turning to face Ronan as he did so. He backed up several steps rapidly before stopping just out of Ronan's reach.

Loki tilted his chin up and sent him a fierce glare. "Do not touch me again."

Ronan did not move. "I did not mean to cause offence. I simply wished to speak with you. Loki."

Loki's tone turned frosty. "I have no words for an ally of _his_."

Ronan blinked and Loki was gone.

He wondered at the strangeness of such a declaration from one who was in Thanos' company all the way back to his ship.

Loki. Ronan decided he like the way his name sounded. Almost as much as he liked the sound of Loki's voice.

 

*** * * * ***

 

"What can you tell me of Loki?" Ronan asked Gamora as they watched Ronan's troops ransack a small, abandoned outpost on the outskirts of Xandarian territory. He had received intelligence that there was information to be found here that would lead him to the Orb. He ordered his soldiers to leave no building unsearched, no corner of the outpost untouched.

Gamora stood at his side, as she had ever since her father had sent her to assist him. The message there was clear - Ronan was taking too long and Thanos grew impatient. Gamora brought her own knowledge of the Orb's history and shared it with Ronan's people. If they did not find the information they sought here, there was another outpost not far away. That it was one was still inhabited would not deter them.

She glanced sidelong his way before returning her attention to the soldiers's movements. "What of him?"

"I have not seen his kind before."

Gamora hesitated before answering. "That does not surprise me. He comes from a region of space a great distance from here, not easily accessed. My understanding is that the people he was born to are all but extinct."

Ronan was silent as he considered this. It was more than he'd been able to learn on his own. Even after describing Loki to one his best scholars and setting her to work on finding out more had netted him nothing. "How did he come to be in Thanos' company?"

"He was found nearby some time ago by my father's Chitauri. He was lost. They brought him before Thanos. My father questioned him. Then he offered him sanctuary, as he does to all those he judges as being worthy of his attention." Gamora's mouth twisted slightly as she continued to watch over ongoing search.

Ronan wondered at what was left unsaid. Thanos's reputation was well know throughout the galaxy. He was ruthless and did not suffer fools. He was not known to do anything without a reason. Even now, Ronan wondered at the purpose behind finding this Orb. He puzzled at the reasoning pertaining to what Gamora said of Loki. Perhaps it had something to do with where Loki came from? Perhaps it held something Thanos sought.

"What is the name of Loki's homeland?" he asked.

Gamora turned sharply on her heel to face him. "Why are you asking these questions? You have been tasked with finding the Orb, that should be your only concern."

"Do not presume to tell me of my concerns," Ronan shot back.

"Master Ronan," Korath approached them quickly, bringing both of their attentions to him. "We have searched everything and found nothing."

Ronan swallowed his annoyance. "To the next outpost then."

 

*** * * * ***

 

Thanos smiled humorlessly down at figure standing before him. "And what lies have you for me today, princeling?"

Loki was stock still. He didn't fight when the Other told him Thanos demanded his presence, not anymore. There was no point. He held himself tall and calm - every inch the Aesir prince he was raised to be - and went where he was led. His face impassive, he answered in a steady voice that betrayed no more emotion than the rest of him.

"I speak no lies."

"That's one."

"Thanos, truly, I stand before you in good faith."

"Two."

Loki's thoughts scrambled to find something - anything - that would appease. Words had never failed him before. Until he met Thanos. "It would be an honour to assist you, in any matter, if only you would allow it."

"And what would a frostling runt like you know of honour? Three."

"Please...," Loki's voice cracked. "Please, don't." Even as the words left his mouth, Loki could feel the change wash over him. He tried fruitlessly to stop it, willing his own magic to prevent the change Thanos was forcing over him. It failed him. As it always did.

"I don't know what you want me to say," even as he said the words, Loki could hear the desperation in his voice. He hated it. He hated how his weakness betrayed him.

But no more than he hated Thanos.

Thanos huffed in amusement. "I think that's the first honest thing you've said since you came here."

Loki swallowed and closed his eyes against the disconcerting sensation of having his very being changed against his will. It felt nothing like this when the Frost Giant had grabbed hold of him, or either time he touched the Casket. Each of those times it had been as a cool caress washing over him. No more strange than any other magic he'd experienced in his life, save for the horror of seeing his skin changing.

It was nothing like that when Thanos forced the change on him. It was as if Loki was immersed in flames before being frozen to his core and then again set ablaze. He could only gasp in helpless rage and pain as his Aesir skin was stripped away from him. The Titan's magic was abrasive and unyielding against Loki's every attempt to block it.

When the pain ceased, he opened his eyes and looked down at his hands. His blue hands. Quickly he clenched them into fists to stop them from shaking. Loki had long since grown used to how different things looked through his Jotun eyes. The asteroid and surrounding space looked every bit as cold and unforgiving as it did normally, but the contrasts were sharper. He could make out details not seen previously. Even Thanos' smirk seemed sharper by comparison.

"Isn't it so much better to have all the lies stripped away?"

Loki didn't answer as he gasped for breath, trying to calm his racing heart.

Thanos looked him over. "It does suit you. Ronan seems to like it."

Loki blinked at the oddity of Thanos' words. "What?"

"Our new ally. The Kree warlord. It would seem you've captured his attention. How fortunate for you I've extended you my hospitality. The Kree are not known for their kindness of heart. Particularly not that one. Oh, people throw the word _fanatic_ around, but with Ronan?" Thanos tsked. "That one I can believe will succeed in razing his enemies to the ground. Even without my assistance." He tilted his head and smiled. "You should thank me for keeping you safe from someone like him."

Loki said nothing.

Thanos leaned forward, his smile disappearing. "I said, you should thank me."

Loki breathed deeply as he forced himself to straighten until his posture was perfect. He tilted his chin up a fraction. "I thank you for your most generous hospitality. I am grateful for your protection," he spoke in a formal tone long perfected after centuries spent in Asgard's court and travelling the realms under the pretense of being Odinson.

Thanos' smile returned. "That's one."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Ronan was annoyed.

He was annoyed with his crew. Still they had not found him the answers he sought. He was annoyed with Gamora. Even now she was on her way back to her father to report Ronan's continued failure. He was annoyed with Thanos himself. Ronan wondered - not for the first time - if Thanos was sending him on a fool's chase for reasons Ronan couldn't fathom. Though he was loath to admit it, Ronan was mostly annoyed with himself. He had devoted himself to forging an alliance with Thanos, believing that finding one lost Orb would be a simple task and act as the lynchpin to succeed in his plans. But the Orb was nowhere to be found. And thus Xandar remained standing. Mocking him with its continued existence.

_Overconfidence will forever be your downfall, my son._

Ronan hated it when his mother was right.

"Tira, what news?" Ronan asked as he cleared the doorway to the ship's cavernous research space.

The Kree scholar turned to face him from where she worked at a console set up at the front of the room, tapping away at the multiple screens before her. "We did not find the answers we hoped from the materials taken from the outposts. However," she hurried to add when Ronan's jaw clenched, "we did find several old data records containing histories and maps dating back further than anything else we've come across thus far. If I'm calculating the dates correctly, they precede even the history of the Kree Empire. It's taking us some time to decipher them, but what we have translated has been quite interesting."

"Do these histories or maps tell you where to find the Orb?"

Tira hesitated. "Well...no."

"Then what use are they? Do not waste time on things that are irrelevant."

"With respect, we've not yet finished the translations. But we did come across something that may be pertinent. A passage, relaying a story told by an extinct people, about a worshipped object. It is said to have been a gift from their gods."

"The Orb?"

Tira hesitated again.

"Tira. I grow impatient," Ronan warned.

"I do not know," she said. "The translations are unfinished and unconfirmed. It will be some time before I can say with any certainty if this is a history. Or just a story."

Ronan growled low and stalked away. He paced back and forth through the room. Every inhabitant in the room, Kree and not, stayed where they were with eyes fixed on their work as Ronan passed by them. Tira returned to her console, resuming her own tasks as Ronan circled the space that was once a fraction of its current size. After securing his arrangement with Thanos, Ronan ordered all surrounding areas emptied, the walls removed, and personnel reassigned to work under Tira.

Tira had been one of the few higher ranking officials from his homeland who defected from their positions to join him after news began to circulate of peace negotiations with the Xandarians. The last war between the Kree and the Xandarians had claimed the lives of her husband and two of her brothers. Not long after Ronan broke away from his own military posting and announced his intention to crush Kree's ancient enemy into dust, Tira abandoned her posting in the central government's Ministry of Kree Culture and History to join him in his cause. Like Ronan, she still had many contacts and sympathizers in their homeland and had no qualms about using them to obtain information.

When he had his irritation with the lack of progress under control Ronan returned to Tira's side. Again she straightened to face him, unafraid as she held his gaze and waited for him to speak first.

"You will continue your research and inform me of your findings."

Tira inclined her head slightly. "Of course. We will leave no record unchecked. It will take time, but we will find this Orb. If it still exists."

 _If._ If Thanos was making a fool of him by making him chase after a tale told by primitives around a fire, Ronan would find a way to repay the Titan a hundred-fold for the humiliation. "Have you made any progress on the other matter we discussed?" he asked.

"Thanos' ward? Some, yes." Tira turned to her console. Ronan watched, impassive, as the array of images projected above the machine blinked in and out, shifting position until one image remained. Tira manipulated it to make it larger.

Ronan leaned in for a better look. "Is that...a tree?"

"Asgardian territory. Nine star systems laid out in a manner that vaguely resembles a tree. Or so they claim. They call it Yggdrasil." Tira pronounced the word slow and unsure. It sounded strange.

"You believe Loki is from one of these systems?"

"It's possible. I could not find any species that truly fit based on your description. There have been expeditions sent out over the millenia to this area of space. However, the Asgardians do not take kindly to outsiders encroaching on their territory. Though there have been some successful forays over the years, particularly to Terra, most of the ships sent out to investigate these systems have returned with little to show for their efforts, if they returned at all."

Ronan made a disparaging sound at that.

Tira continued on as though she heard nothing. "What we know about these systems and their inhabitants is limited. There are a number of references made to beings with blue skin with a raised line patterns, such as you described of Thanos' ward. They're called Jotuns and Frost Giants. They may even be the same people, but we do not know for sure."

"Could one of these be Loki's people?"

"It is the closest match I can find in any database. But still unlikely, unless this Loki is several feet taller than you described?"

He blinked at the oddness of the question. "I assure you he is not."

"Well then. The most distinguishing characteristic of the Jotuns and Frost Giants, besides their colour and skin patterns, is their height. They are true giants. Based on what little other information I have gathered, they seem violent and unpredictable creatures. There is a record of Frost Giants invading the Terran homeworld over a millennium ago, and a conflict arising between Asgard and Jotunheim around the same time. Again, the Jotun and the Frost Giants may be the same people. At the very least, they likely share a homeworld. The Kree have no record of any contact with them. What we know is pulled from other races who've encountered them and describe them as being little more than warring beasts."

"Loki is no beast!" Ronan protested.

Tira was unperturbed by his reaction. "As I said, it's the simply the closest match I have come across. There are many regions our people have not yet explored. He may be from a system the Kree have never been to. It might help if I knew how he came to be here. Did he arrive on a ship?"

"I do not know. I was told he was found by creatures loyal to Thanos." Gamora had remained tight-lipped after telling him as much, refusing to answer any more of his questions about Loki.    

Tira hummed in response. "I will keep looking. And for the Orb as well."

"I will not keep you any longer."

Tira inclined her head a fraction before returning her attention to her work station as if Ronan was no longer standing beside her. Ronan watched the holographic image of the slowly rotating tree for a moment longer before turning on his heel to leave and return to his own duties.

Ronan would not fail. One way or another, Xandar would fall.

 

*** * * * ***

 

Loki collapsed onto the slab of rock serving as his bed, panting with effort as he fought to get his breathing and pain under control now that he was alone. Thanos had been in a terrible mood since Gamora had returned from her task empty handed. Loki had been here long enough to learn that never boded well for anyone. Certainly not him.

Thanos was calm in his temper, methodical in how he invited Loki to tell him some lies and ripping his skin away from him when he didn't care for the answers. Loki lost track of how long he stood before the Titan, grasping at his words and desperate to find some that would appease him. A cycle of being forced from one form to another, and then back again, seemingly without end.

_There is no help for you, frostling runt._

_Loki was on the ground, on his knees, gasping for air. Had he asked - begged? - for help? He couldn't remember. Everything was a haze of pain and fire and ice and fire and pain pain pain._

Finally Thanos had had enough and sent him away, leaving Loki in his Jotun form again. The wrongness of this skin itched at him. He fought the urge to claw it off. Loki clenched his hands as tightly as he did his teeth to not give in the the impulse.

_Shhh, just breathe. Deep, steady breaths. You will be all right, Loki. You are strong. All will be well._

Loki squeezed his eyes shut, sniffling as he did as the soothing voice in his head bid him. Trying not to think overlong of the person the voice belonged to lest his breath be stolen from him again in a wave of despair and loneliness. He forced himself to take deep, steady breaths. In and out, one after another. Coaxed his muscles to relax, inch by inch, limb by limb. Eventually the pain eased and calm returned to his mind.

He flipped over onto his back, shifting about until he found a more or less comfortable position on the hard surface beneath him. Loki folding one arm under his head in lieu of a pillow, opening his eyes to study the low hanging ceiling overhead. Tucked into an alcove he thought of as his  and surrounded on all sides by rock, Loki considered what to do next.

_What does he want from me?_

The thought played over and over in Loki's mind as time ran together. He had long since lost track of how long he'd been in this place. There was no suns, no moons. No way for him to mark the passage of time. People came and went in no order he could fathom. He could not venture a guess as to how many lived there, willingly or otherwise. He ate when there was food to eat. Slept when sleep was obtainable. There was no way out he could find. And he had tried many, many times. Loki was stuck in this vile place. Living among hostiles led by a creature of myth.

Sanctuary. The Mad Titan had a sense of humour as twisted as he was.

The asteroid field that made up Thanos' domain was vast and made habitable by the strength of the Titan's power. Many times Loki spent what he thought were days just exploring. He discovered numerous pathways that linked the larger rocks together, not unlike the pathways he'd found between the branches of Yggdrasil. There were no planets nearby, just dark rocks as far as he could see in every direction from every asteroid he was permitted to set foot on.

The one asteroid that was used for arriving and departing via ship was blocked off with some kind of energy field. It was the only one Loki could not access. The one - and only - time he tried to force his way through the field he had been caught.

Thanos had not been pleased. Loki learned quickly he could not hide from Thanos as he did from Heimdall. He swallowed a shudder at the memory of what had followed.

_Did Heimdall see? Did he tell Odin? Did they have a grand laugh at what had become of him? Cowering at the feet of a nightmare._

When he was first brought before Thanos, snatched from the grip of the Void by strange, chittering creatures, Loki had been a wretched, half-dead thing. As he was put on his knees before their master, Loki alternated between cackling with manic laughter and lashing out at the things that held him in place. Thanos had looked down at him with amusement. Loki wondered if he had gone mad, perhaps was even still in the Void, for surely he must be to be looked up into the face of something that did not exist.

But Thanos was very real.

Loki found his memories of what happened in the time that followed hazy and distant. He could remember pieces, many a time when he stood - or knelt - before Thanos as they spoke. Thanos asked him many questions. Sometimes it was one of his creatures - the Other - that asked, Thanos staying silent and observing. The twitchy sensation of being under his observation. Like insects crawling under the surface of his skin. And in his mind.

So many questions, yet Loki found he could not recall what he was asked. Nor could he remember what he told Thanos. Loki's inability to remember the events clearly unsettled him more than he was willing to admit, as did his fear of what he may have said. His meetings with Thanos now held the uneasy air of Thanos knowing far more about him than Loki would have ever told anyone. 

His first clear memory of speaking with the Titan was Thanos promising to help him. Telling Loki he could count Thanos as his ally and offering Loki the chance to strike back at his enemies and regain all he had lost. All Loki had to do was prove he could be a worthy ally in return.

 _Be worthy._ Loki's answering laugh had been as bitter as it was brief.

To Thanos, being worthy meant holding no secrets. Loki assured him he would tell no lies. He knew it was a mistake the moment he saw the smile spread across Thanos' face _._ It was the first time Thanos had stripped away Loki's biggest lie. Thanos had been intent on taking all of his secrets away every since.

Loki had been a fool. Filled with rage and hurt and _fallingpainhelpmesomeoneanyoneplease_. But a fool nonetheless. It suited him ill.  

Not for the first time Loki wondered why he was still alive. It was clear Thanos had no intention of allowing Loki to leave to pursue any vengeance against those who had betrayed him. Too much time had passed. So much of his rage had burned away under the fire of Thanos' power, Loki had little interest left in hunting down his betrayers. What purpose did Thanos have in keeping him here, a puppet made to dance on his strings? There had to be a reason.

But what?

_Yes, fallen prince of Asgard,_ his own voice mocked him. _What possible reason could Thanos, the Mad Titan himself, have in keeping the Allfather's disgraced, second son at hand? Whyever not simply set you free to scrurry home to the loving embrace of his ancient enemy._

Loki tried to imagine returning home. Would they welcome him? Did anyone miss him?

_Don't be ridiculous. You know the answer._

He could still see Odin's face, filled with disappointment, as he looked down at Loki as he hung over the Void. Thor's anger when returned from exile and confronted him in Odin's chambers. Frigga's shocked, horrified expression in the face of Thor's accusations. 

_The Titan seeks to hold a pawn against the Realm Eternal. Too bad it was one that had been so easily discarded. Well done, trickster. What a grand jest indeed._

The strangled laugh that escaped his throat was soon choked off by one hollow sob, followed by another. Loki rolled to his side, pressing his face close to the wall of rock. Pushed one hand against his face to stop any tears from escaping.

Loki closed his eyes to try for sleep.

Maybe this time when he woke, he'll find he still had a home and a family and it was all a terrible dream.

_You're not that lucky._

He was so tired.


	3. Chapter 3

Ronan stalked toward the jumpway that would take him back to his ship, his rising anger blinding him to his surroundings. His mood before his latest meeting with Thanos had been sour. It was more so now. He had come to Sanctuary in the first place to seek an alliance with Thanos, in need of a powerful ally in his war against the Xandarians. Their alliance was forged on the promise of finding the Orb. Ronan would not go back on his word, he would find it for Thanos. But Ronan was growing weary of being insulted and belittled every time he met with the Titan. Ronan was devoting much of his time and resources to finding Thanos' Orb. He was confident he would find it in time - if it still existed. It was that observation spoken aloud that turned an already unpleasant meeting even worse.

_"What do you mean **if** it still exists?"_

_"You said it yourself, Thanos, this is an ancient object. It may be that it simply no longer exists."_

_"You think I would waste my time on petty dealings with you for something that no longer exists - **boy**!"_

Thanos made it plain Ronan was taking too long to find a simple object. Ronan retorted that if it was so simple to find, surely Thanos could have found it for himself long before now. The conversation deteriorated from there.

Once he was back aboard the Dark Aster, Ronan would have to find some way to dispel his mood lest he end up taking it out on his crew. He currently wasn't holding any prisoners he could execute. He could always set out to find some. There was a spaceport less than four days out. There was even a chance they might not see him coming and have evacuated before he arrived. If he could find even one Xandarian to vent his frustration on it would go a long way to...

"Loki!"

The name escaped his lips without thinking as soon as Ronan saw him loitering close to the jumpway. Loki's back was to him, but he started at the sound of Ronan's voice and spun around to face him. Ronan's anger melted away as he took in the sight of him, still dressed too plainly for one so alluring.

_Someone such as you should be dressed in finery that comes close to matching your beauty._

Ronan blinked, first wondering where the thought had come from, and then realizing he meant it. Every word.

"You. Again." Loki stood rigidly in place.

Ronan started to close the distance between them, but stopped when Loki began to inch away.

"I am pleased to see you," Ronan said with sincerity.

"Are you now?"

"Yes."

Loki said nothing.

As the silence stretched between them, Ronan grasped for something to say before blurting out. "You look lovely."

Loki's eyebrows rose high. "I beg your pardon?"

Had that been rude? Ronan didn't think so. Perhaps it was too forward? "Well. I mean to say well. You look...well."

Loki's eyebrows climbed even higher. 

Ronan tried again, offering a polite smile as he spoke. "I am about to take my leave. Are you departing also?" He gestured at the jumpway. "If you would permit it, I would be pleased to escort you to your transport."

At that, Loki's eyebrows slammed down low over narrowed eyes. "No!" he snarled. "I am going nowhere." 

"Wait..." Ronan protested, but Loki was already storming past him.

As he journeyed back to the Dark Aster in a Necrocraft, Ronan couldn't stop thinking about what he had said wrong.

  
  


*** * * * ***

  
  


"My, wasn't that was entertaining."

Loki didn't spare Nebula a glance as she slithered out from the shadows of the rocky corridor to walk at his side, effortlessly matching his long stride.

"What do you want?"

"Me? I'm just curious. My father's ally seems quite taken with you. I wonder why that is?" She paused waiting for a reaction. Loki offered none. "I find it interesting, don't you?" she asked innocently. "What someone like Ronan might want with something like you?"

"I find nothing interesting about any of you, I assure you."

Nebula's laugh was as false as it was brief. "So bitter. Don't worry, Loki. I've no doubt that my father will yet find some use for you. Eventually."

Loki spun hard on his heel, slamming his hand against the nearest wall to stop Nebula in her tracks, lest she run her neck into his arm. He leaned into her space and bared his teeth in an imitation of a smile. "Oh? Do you suppose that would be before or after he finds some use for _you_?"

Nebula didn't flinch, but the glittering rage in her eyes gave her away all the same. Loki offered her a mocking salute before deliberately turning his back to her and walking away.

Loki moved aimlessly though the corridors that ran beneath the surface. He touched his hand to his belt briefly, comforted by the presence of the small, obsidian-like blade he had secreted away there. It was the only weapon he'd managed to steal and keep hidden in the time he'd been on Sanctuary. If Thanos knew Loki had it, he didn't seem to care. Likely he knew Loki wouldn't dare try to use it against him.

The wrongness of having so many enemies at his back twisted at Loki's insides. As wrong as knowing the only reason he could close his eyes and sleep without his throat being slit was due to Thanos. Until Thanos said otherwise, every hand that could hold a knife to be used against Loki was stayed. It offered him little comfort.

_It cannot last._

Nebula was right about one thing. One day Thanos would decide on a use for him.

The knowledge made Loki's skin crawl with dread.

  
  


*** * * * ***

  
  


Korath the Pursuer held the honour of having known Ronan longer than any other currently aboard the Dark Aster. When Korath was much younger, he'd trained briefly under Ronan in the military corps before choosing bio-genetic study and enhancements. Even as their paths parted, it was easy to keep track of Ronan. He was one often touted as a perfect example of Kree military training and discipline as he rose rapidly through the ranks of the service, eclipsing his peers in his dedication to the Kree Empire. When Ronan required a new squadron leader in his service, Korath jumped at the opportunity to serve in his command. Korath pledged his loyalty to Ronan and followed him as Ronan's star continued its rise. Korath never regretted his decision to leave his science posting behind on Hala. Nor did he regret his choice to remain at Ronan's side when Ronan announced his intention to act against their government's betrayal.

He'd witnessed many of Ronan's moods over the years. He's seen Ronan upbeat after victory, downcast in the face of defeat. He's seen his face alight with the glow of slaughter as well as laughter. Korath remembered the look on Ronan's face shortly after learning of his father's death, and then, more recently, after learning the news the Kree government was pursuing a peace treaty with the Xandarians. He had seen Ronan lost in thought many times, but this time it was different. Ronan had returned from another meeting with Thanos, took his seat on the flight deck, and did nothing. He issued no commands, spoke to no one. He simply sat and did nothing. Korath waited, as did the crew, exchanging glances with one another as they tried to prepare for what Ronan would want. They would depart the area, of course, there was no need to remain. But it was for Ronan alone to determine where they would go next. Until he issued their orders, they waited.

Korath felt eyes on him and turned his head to see one of the priestesses staring at him. When he met her eyes she raised her brows slightly and inclined her head in Ronan's direction. Her meaning clear, she expected him to rouse Ronan from this state. Korath would take orders from no one but Ronan, yet he was never one to back down from any challenge. Korath approached Ronan, standing at his side just close enough for Ronan to know he was there. But Ronan did not acknowledge him. Korath looked back at the priestess. She pursed her thin lips at him and held his gaze with defiance. Korath frowned back, but her expression did not relent. Korath sighed quietly and took one more step closer to Ronan.

"Master, we await your orders," Korath said in his most formal and respectful tone, always mindful of how he addressed Ronan in front of his crew and followers. Korath would tolerate no disrespect directed at Ronan and he made sure others knew it through his proper example.

Ronan said nothing.

Korath considered standing his ground, holding fast to his place at Ronan's side until Ronan stirred enough to engage with him. But keeping the Dark Aster so close to Sanctuary for too long sat uneasy with him. Thanos was the most powerful creature in the universe. Best not to stay so close within his reach if they could help it.

"Master, shall I direct us away from this place?"

Ronan still didn't look at him, but now he thrummed his fingers on the arm of his chair.

Korath didn't need to look to know every pair of eyes on deck were watching them. He bent over slightly to put himself closer to Ronan's ear and lowered his voice so none could overhear.

"Ronan, is something wrong?"

At that Ronan moved his head back against his chair, almost slumping into it. "I am trying to decide on the correct course of action, but find...I am vexed, Korath."

"Did something happen? With Thanos?" Korath still kept his voice low, matching Ronan's soft tone. It was as private as they could be in a room full of people.

"No. Not Thanos. Someone else."

Korath thought furiously, perplexed as to who could inspire such a reaction from Ronan. As far as he knew, Ronan interacted with few others in Thanos' domain. His thinking was interrupted when Ronan stood abruptly and headed for the door. Korath hurried after him. Once they reached the corridor, away from prying eyes, Korath spoke more freely.

"What is it, Ronan? Where are you going?"

"I must return to Sanctuary."

"To speak with Thanos? Again?" Korath was wary. Meetings with Thanos were putting a strain on Ronan, leaving him in a dark frame of mind for sometimes days afterwards. Korath was having doubts that any alliance could possibly be worth it.

"No. My words are not for his ears. There is someone else. I fear I have mistepped and caused offence. I must put it right before we leave here."

Ronan abruptly changed directions, Korath following close behind him. Korath assumed he had been heading for one of the Necrocraft bays, but it soon became apparent Ronan was heading for his own quarters. Korath stopped at the entryway, not presuming to follow Ronan into his living space.

"Who?" Korath called through the open doors as he watched Ronan pull open and rummage through one storage hatch after another, searching.

Ronan didn't answer.

  
  


*** * * * ***

 

If there was one tolerable thing in this entire wretched place it was the waterfall. Loki hummed softly to himself, content as the temperate water washed over his naked form. Most tolerable indeed.

Loki knew not how long he had been a "guest" of Thanos before he stumbled across his precious find. It happened quite by accident, he was trying to find means of altering his travel of the pathways between the asteroids. By releasing a small burst of magic in the hairsbreadth of a moment it took to move between one rock to another, he hoped he could alter the destination and, as such, find a way to leave Sanctuary behind him. It worked as far as altering the destination, but only as far as setting him on different pathways, ones he had not known of previously. This granted him new awareness of just how vast the Sanctuary truly was. The pathways flowed between hundreds of rocks and none that led to a way out. Some of the rocks were small enough to be examined with little more than a glance around. Others were massive and many were like the ones that served as Thanos' main base, with networks of corridors underground. Complete with beings living in them. These Loki avoided as much as possible, having little stomach for spending time around the Chitauri or Thanos' so-called children. 

It was during one of these explorations, he found himself in a new area. Vast, black rock all around as far as his eyes could see. Another lifeless rock, or so he had thought. It was the sound of rushing water that drew him to what looked like a deep crevice underfoot. The sound intensified the closer he went and when he was finally close enough to investigate Loki was surprised to find the crevice opened up and led deep into an underground cavern.

He was even more surprised by what he found inside.

Exploring the cavern for the first time, Loki thought for certain the small oasis complete with a waterfall deep beneath the surface of a dead rock was a figment of his imagination. A sign his mind was cracking, his sanity sliding further from his reach the longer he remained in Thanos' domain. He'd walked calmly forward, casting lights in the air as he went, and entered the water fully clothed so sure the mirage would dissipate. Loki ended up soaking wet. And laughing. He laughed for so long, it seemed he may never stop though eventually his calm returned. He visited his waterfall as often as he was able ever since. Even more to his delight, the water remained temperate regardless of the form he wore.

How this small and unlikely true sanctuary existed, Loki did not know. Nor did he much care how it came to be, accident of magic, deliberate construct, or other means. It mattered only that no one ever intruded upon him here. Loki didn't know if this was because no one knew of the waterfall's existence, which seemed unlikely. Or if simply no one - Thanos - cared that Loki found a way to bathe regularly. Regardless, it was these unspoiled moments he'd come to look forward to.

Loki took his time in his bath. Turning this way and that so the delicious pressure of water covered as much of him as possible. Though his magic remained weakened in the face of Thanos' power, Loki could still cast light enough for him to see as well as conjure something resembling soap each time he visited. It was luxury enough that it almost made him forget he once bathed like this as a matter of course, as did he regularly feast in the halls of kings. Almost.

Loki ran his soapy hands over his skin slowly, savouring the feeling of being clean. Even in this skin. Closing his eyes, he could at least pretend the raised lines he felt on every pass were not real. He was rinsing the soap from his hair when he heard a scuffing sound behind him. Loki jerked around to find Ronan, Thanos' loathsome Kree ally, standing on the edge of _his_ oasis.

Watching him.

Emotions poured through Loki at being caught unaware and vulnerable. Embarrassment. Shame. Unease skating along the edge of fear. He refused to allow any of it show. Standing defiantly with hands on his hips and chin tilted up a fraction, Loki glared across the cavern at Ronan. The water still falling across his back.

"Are you so ill-mannered you sneak up on someone while they bathe?" Loki laced his tone with as much impertinence as he could muster.

Ronan just stared.

"Well? Have you no answer?" Loki thought he had probably never sounded so much like his father in that moment. Though Odin would have thrown such a harsh demand only at a particularly stupid guard or courtier, not while facing down an armoured Kree warrior while naked and soaking wet. Or at least if he had, it was not a story Odin ever shared with Loki.

 _You may terrorize others, but you don't frighten me. I've seen scarier. Each and every time I stand before Thanos, in fact. You're nothing._ Loki refused to back down from his challenging stance, even as his heart pounded in his ears.

The silence stretched long between them. Loki was unrelenting in his withering glare, remaining motionless but prepared to react if Ronan moved toward him. Ronan broke their stand-off by dropping his gaze. He seemed uncomfortable.

"Forgive my intrusion. This was not my intention."

"What are you doing here? How did you know of this place?" Loki demanded.

Ronan glanced back up at Loki briefly before looking away. "Thanos' daughter told me."

So much for his implausible wish that no one else knew about the waterfall. "Gamora told you?"

"No. The other one. Nebula."

Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Of course. It wouldn't have been the first time she followed him, hoping to learn something she could rush back to daddy with and report of Loki's perceived wrongdoings. So desperate to elevate herself above her sister in Thanos' eyes.

_And just who does she remind you of, hmmm? Thor's little shadow._

"And what? Have you never seen a waterfall before? You just had to come see this one?"

If anything, Ronan looked more abashed. "I...I hoped to see you before I departed this system. Nebula told me where to find you."

Loki blinked. "You were looking for me? Why?"

"I wanted to see you," Ronan repeated.

"Again I ask - why?"

Ronan looked at him once more, his eyes sliding over Loki's naked form. Loki resisted the urge to extinguish all his lights and flee, even as he tensed under Ronan's assessing gaze. Never had Loki so fervently wished he had a dagger in hand. His attempt to change the soap he was crushing in one hand into a blade failed. He threw a quick glance at his pile of clothing. The blade hidden in his belt. But his clothes were closer to Ronan than to him. Loki was unsure if he should call the blade to his hand. Or if his magic was strong enough for it.

Ronan followed his gaze to his clothes before he abruptly turned his back to Loki and took three large steps away. "Forgive the rudeness of my trespass. It was not my intention to catch you so unaware. I only wished to speak with you."

For a moment, Loki was too startled to move. The realization Ronan was giving him privacy to get dressed flooded though him, leaving him uncertain. Loki shook off his inertia, stepping quickly away from his waterfall and across the few stones that separated him from his clothes. He dressed with rapid movements, never taking his eyes off Ronan's back. He noticed for the first time Ronan carried a satchel slung over his back. It seemed oddly out of place amongst all the armour. Loki suddenly realized that that was not the only thing out of place. Ronan was not carrying his weapon.

The Kree didn't move while Loki hurried into his clothes. After Loki finished lacing up his shirt, he touched his fingers to his belt. Feeling the reassuring presence of the blade, Loki cleared his throat.

"So. Speak, then. What do you want?"

Ronan was hesitant to turn back around, looking over his shoulder at Loki before moving to face him. He maintained the distance between them.

"You are uncertain about me."

Loki treated him to a wintery smile. "Very perceptive."

"I would have that not be so. I do not wish to be at odds with you."

"What does it matter?"

"It matters to me."

"Why?"

Ronan responded to Loki's confusion with a small smile. "I've never met anyone such as you before."

"You know nothing about me." Loki shot back.

"I would like to."

Loki's fingers twitched at his belt. He saw Ronan catch the movement and cursed himself for allowing his nervousness to show.

Ronan's smile disappeared. He shifted his body to hold himself in a more relaxed stance. "Even now you are trying to decide if you need that weapon you have hidden. I promise you, you do not. I will not harm you."

Loki scoffed. "I'll just take you at your word, shall I?"

The corners of Ronan's mouth twitched. "Perhaps I will simply prove to you you have nothing to fear from me."

"How do you intend to do that?"

Ronan pulled the bag he was carrying around his body so he could reach within it. He pulled out a thick, folded bundle of cloth, clasping it in both hands he held it out to Loki. Loki made no move to go forward. When it became obvious enough to him that Loki wasn't going to take it from his hands, Ronan slowly knelt down to set the bundle on the ground.

"I brought this for you. As a token of my...respect. I hope you will accept it in the spirit it's offered." Ronan took a step away. "Again, I apologize profusely for intruding upon your bath."

Loki nodded. "Let that be a lesson to you, never listen to Nebula. She hates me."

Ronan barked a laugh. It sounded surprisingly light-hearted. "That is indeed her loss. Goodbye, Loki. I hope we will meet again soon."

"Perhaps."

Loki didn't move until he was sure Ronan was truly gone from the cavern, straining to hear over the sound of the water he listened until he could hear no footsteps. Knowing he'd grown complacent in his time spent in the waterfall, Loki knew he'd never enjoy it the same way again. He would always be listening for footsteps sneaking up on him. He breathed out a disappointed sigh as he approached for the bundle Ronan had left for him. Loki pressed his fingers into the material carefully, checking for anything hidden or harmful within the folds before he lifted it up and shook it out.

It was a cloak. Deep blue in colour, almost purple, trimmed with black fur from what creature Loki could not even guess at and possessing a voluminous hood. He examined it from every angle, running his hands over the fur and the soft lining. Looked curiously at the hem that ran along the bottom of the cloak, different from the other seams he could detect. He wondered at the material it was made from. It looked and felt like nothing he'd ever seen before. It was as luxurious as anything he would have kept in his wardrobe in Asgard.

Loki impulsively threw the cloak around his shoulders. It settled around his body, wrapping him in warmth with the bottom hem almost touching the ground. Longer than the capes he normally wore. Bigger as well. Loki could wrap the cloak around him with plenty of room to spare. He turned slowly around in a circle, then stepped forward and back, testing the weight and movement of the cloak. It was beautifully constructed, likely made to be worn over armour, and Loki knew without a doubt it hadn't been made for him. 

Loki was baffled. Why would Ronan give him his cloak?

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated to add - yikes! I can't believe I put this out there without adding how incredibly grateful I am to the anonymous person who sent me a message describing a dream they had about Ronan stumbling across Loki in a hidden waterfall (I get the best messages sometimes, you have no idea). Thank you, anon! Thank you! This chapter is dedicated to you. :)


	4. Chapter 4

"Thank you for my cloak." Loki gently stroked the edge of fur trimmed hood that framed his face.

"It looks more beautiful on you than I imagined." Ronan took a hesitant step closer. Loki smiled at him. Reaching out to take one of his hands, Loki set Ronan's hand on the fur trim.

"It's so soft. I love the way it feels on me."

Ronan returned Loki's smile, running his fingers along the edge of the hood. "As do I."

Loki hummed happily, nuzzling his face along the side of the hood Ronan was running his fingers along. Emboldened, Ronan took another step closer.

"No one's ever given me something so wonderful. I cannot imagine how I can ever thank you." Loki glanced up at Ronan under his lashes with a teasing smile.

Ronan moved his fingers from the fur to Loki's face, brushing his knuckles along Loki's cheek. "You never have to thank me for anything."

"Oh, but I want to." Loki folded his hands behind Ronan's neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

Ronan was lost. Wrapping his arms around Loki, he pulled him against Ronan's body tightly even he made the most of exploring Loki's mouth. They kissed without pause until Ronan grew breathless. He pulled his mouth away and immediately began kissing and sucking at Loki's neck. He moved slowly, starting just under Loki's jaw and working his way down to the collarbone, relishing in every breathy little moan Loki made as he arched his body into Ronan's. As he was licking at one of the dark swirling lines at the base of Loki's neck, preparing to chase it where it disappeared under the cloak, Loki slid one hand along Ronan's jaw and pulled him back into a fierce kiss.

When Loki broke off the kiss by pulling away and backing up a step, Ronan almost growled. Loki offered him a provocative smile as he slowly undid the fasteners holding the cloak closed around him and pulled it off, dropping it to the ground.

Loki wore nothing underneath.

Ronan did growl then, unable to help himself at the intoxicating sight. He grabbed Loki and pulled him back against him. Loki met his mouth eagerly even as Ronan circled an arm around Loki's waist, holding him steady as he backed him out of the material pooled at Loki's bare feet. Once free of the encumbrance, Ronan continued backing him up slowly toward the bed, keeping one arm firmly around him, while using the other hand to freely explore Loki's skin. Loki shivered at his explorations, breaking free of Ronan's mouth to nip at his jaw. Reaching the bed, Ronan wasted no time lowering Loki down on his back and climbing on top of him. Loki reached for him and began pulling at his clothes.

Ronan pulled off his long tunic, grateful he didn't have any armour to contend with. He worked at his trousers, desperate to get them off even as Loki's tongue began an unhurried exploration of his chest. Groaning, Ronan then...

"Master Ronan?"

Ronan opened his eyes.

"Hello?"

Ronan blinked awake as Korath's voice echoed through a nearby audio comm. Where it was set into the wall. Near his bed. In his quarters. Aboard the Dark Aster. Where he slept. 

Alone.

"Ronan? Are you there?"

"What is it, Korath?" Ronan said through clenched teeth, ignoring the insistent throbbing between his legs.

"Someone is trying to make contact with you. A message has come through on one of our coded channels."

"I will see to it later."

"But Master Ronan, the message is flagged urgent."

"I said...!" Ronan choked back his angry retort. Taking a deep breath through his nose, he released it slowly. "I have just awoken. I will attend to it as soon as I'm able."

"Very well. I apologize for waking you."

Ronan very deliberately did not throw anything at the wall.

  


*** * * * ***

  


Loki breathed slowly, banishing his mind of scattered and chaotic thoughts as he focused. Letting his magic sharpen his senses, he pushed out to his surroundings. Unable to explore the cold rock in every direction at once, he was forced to reach out over and over again until he was satisfied no one would happen by to disrupt him. Loki pulled back, his awareness of his surroundings narrowed to the song of magic and the dagger set out before him. His mind clear and quiet save the steady pumping of blood in his ears, he held out a hand and summoned the dagger.

The little knife remained balanced on the rock.

Loki squeezed his hand and eyes shut tight. Blowing out a harsh, noisy breath he forced himself to relax. Cleared his mind. Felt the flow of magic in his veins. Opened his hand. Called the dagger.

In the next heartbeat, the dagger was sitting in the palm of his hand.

Loki smiled, giving voice to a small breathless laugh even as his heart gave a squeeze at such a miniscule measure of success. Since his encounter with the Kree warlord at the waterfall, Loki resolved he would never allow himself to be caught so unaware and defenceless again. It had been the height of foolishness to ever think he could let his guard down in this place. Even during something so innocuous as bathing.

He had been practising summoning the blade to his hand on and off for days. For every time the weapon came it him, there had been just as many where it remained unmoved. It was unnerving. Loki remembered how he failed to conjure a blade when he wanted one. While he could create easy things - like soap and lights - anything requiring more intricate castings failed.  Things he had mastery of for centuries and could do unthinking no longer came to him. His magic sputtered and flickered like candles left out in cold rain. Weakened and unfocused. So much of what he once knew failed him in Sanctuary.

It was unbearable.

Though he strongly suspected Thanos was somehow responsible for obstructing Loki's magic, Loki had also begun to consider the possibility there was something wrong with him. It all came back to his fall into the Void. Every cautionary tale he ever heard or horror story ever read told him he should not have survived. And yet he did. Loki wondered if his magic had saved him, keeping him alive as he fell even as it slowly drained away.

His life for his magic. Loki was unsure if he approved of the trade-off.

_Would you truly rather be dead than weak?_

_No, don't be ridiculous._

_Liar._

But as long as he remained within Thanos' grasp, there was no way for Loki to know for certain what ailed his power.

Loki pushed himself up from the rocky shelf where he was seated, tucking the small dagger back within his belt. His little alcove was quiet. Few ventured this far down in the rock and those that did usually came with purpose. Thanos had had little use for Loki as of late and for this, Loki was relieved to a humiliating degree.

The others who also lived this far deep were rarely present, where they were the rest of the time Loki didn't know. Some claimed themselves to be the children of Thanos. Others were more ambiguous in their status, but clearly in his service. Wretched creatures, every last one. When they were in residence, they kept their distance from Loki. Out of indifference to him or deliberate avoidance, this Loki did not know this either. Oh, he wanted to know. But could find none yet willing to tell him.

Loki paced his little alcove, his mind working furiously as he went around and around and around.

_What did Thanos intend to do with him?_

_Was anyone even looking for him?_ _Could they not see what had become of him?_

_Even if he were very angry, surely Odin would send help? Or if not Odin, then Frigga?_

_There had to be some way to escape this forsaken place - but how?_

_Why did Ronan give him a cloak?_

Loki ceased his pacing and returned to the rocky shelf that served as his bed. There were other places he could have chosen as his own in Sanctuary, this one he favoured not just for its isolation, but because it held secrets. Loki shoved his arm down in the narrow space where the shelf met wall. The gap was not noticeable from afar. Loki found it as he inspected the space for traps or weapons. When he slid his arm down to see how far the space extended, he found a hollowed out area under his rocky bed. It was uneven and not overly large, seeming a natural hollow in the rock. But well hidden from prying eyes.

From its hiding place beneath the rock, Loki pulled the cloak free. Shaking it out, he draped it across his lap. He passed his hands over it, examining the workmanship of the garment. No question, it was a beautiful piece.  Loki wondered again why he was the one holding it. What did Ronan hope to accomplish by gifting him with such a thing? Loki was still mystified. The Kree was working for Thanos. Loki had had as little contact with him as he could manage. What concern was it of Ronan's if Loki thought better of him?

Loki tried to remember all he knew of the Kree people and their customs. It was not much. Asgard had few dealings with them. The Kree launched incursions occasionally into the other realms, which Asgard always took exception. The resulting skirmishes never ended in the Kree's favour. Beyond that, Asgard and the Kree Empire had little to do with each other and both preferred it that way. Kree territory was far enough away they were considered of little consequence and, as such, beyond biological differences and battle tactics, little was known about them.

Not that Asgard cared to learn much about a powerful, potential threat to begin with. Odin and his council considered the Kree beneath their notice, despite the size of their empire and their proclivity towards war and conquest.

_So typical,  believing none could never be a threat to the Realm Eternal._

As if further knowledge of enemies could not have been useful for Asgard. Loki could certainly made use of such knowledge now.

A gift. Ronan had given him a gift. Gifts had meaning. They were regularly exchanged between friends and family. From their explorations and adventures throughout the realms, he and Thor always brought mementos home for their parents and each other. Gifts were a mainstay of courtship between lovers. Loki had given, and received, his share of them in his life.

Gifts were also commonly used to court favour among those in power. Loki was long used to such a practice. From the time when he was old enough to begin attending court, he was regularly showered with gifts from people hoping to curry favour with him. Not because the gifters sought his favour, of course, but with the hope Loki would in turn help them find favour with Odin. Or Thor.

Oh.

Loki laughed, soft and sharp. Was that what this was? Thanos' little display some time ago, where he forced Loki to stand at his side while he lorded over them all. The Kree must have believed Loki had standing in Thanos's eyes. His little _gift_ was an attempt to forge better ties with Thanos. Through Loki. Of course. Ronan had likely been waiting to find such an opening. If it hadn't been with him, Ronan would have undoubtedly tried his hand with Gamora. If he hadn't already. Perhaps she had spurned his offering and he set his sights on Loki instead thinking him more gullible.

_Transparent fool._

Loki carelessly stuffed the cloak down the gap and back into the hollow. If Ronan truly believed he could find better standing with Thanos through Loki, he was in for a crushing disappointment.

Loki only hoped he would still be alive to see it.

  


*** * * * ***

  


Ronan consulted a mirror one last time to ensure his appearance was proper before stepping up to the projector in his quarters. He glanced about quickly and, satisfied his quarters were in order, tapped the control that would open a secured channel and send a message to another party. He waited.

He looked about him once more, making sure he hadn't missed anything out of place. And waited. Leaned back just enough to catch sight of his reflection. Still presentable.

And Ronan waited.

Finally, the projector hummed with presence as an image appeared before him.

"Mother."

Ronan’s mother, Riaan, peered at him, looking him over before offering a greeting of her own. "Ronan. I see you still live."

"Of course I do, Mother. Why would you think otherwise?"

Riaan shrugged lightly. "Well, I'm sure I don't know. I do not hear from you for long stretches. You've cut off ties with your home and military patrons. For all I know you've met your end."

"I have not, Mother. As you can see."

Riaan looked him over again, her face impassive. "I suppose not."

"It's good to see you, Mother. You look well."

"Thank you."

"I apologize for not being in contact more often. My mission occupies much of my time."

"Ah, yes. Your _mission_."

Ronan stifled a sigh as she continued.

"My son, when will you be ready to let go of this madness and return home?"

"It's not madness!"

"There is no need to speak to me so sharply."

Ronan swallowed another sigh. "I apologize for my tone, Mother. But I cannot stand by as our government betrays us all by making peace with Xandarians. They are a disease upon the galaxy, and I will find the means to wipe them from existence once and for all. I will succeed, you'll see. I will make our people see our so-called leaders for the treacherous creatures they truly are."

Riaan threw her hands outward, palms up. "Oh, Ronan, I know the death of your father was upsetting for you, but you cannot continue clinging to this rage of yours forever." She clasped her hands in front of her and took a step closer. Ronan knew if they had been in same room, she'd be reaching for his hands. "If you return to Hala now and offer to make immediate restitution to the Generals for the insult of turning your back on them, I'm sure you will find forgiveness. In time, perhaps you may even be allowed to earn back your position. Your father was not without friends. They will understand your actions have been driven by grief."

Ronan side-stepped his mother's image, turning his face to avoid her beseeching eyes. She had never understood his drive to return the Kree to their rightful path. This happened every time they spoke, she insisted he return home and bow down to his former masters. He would not.

"No, Mother," he said, turning back to face her. "I am finished serving those who would turn their backs on what it is to be Kree. I am not without supporters either. I will not turn back. Not now. Victory is within my grasp. I will show our people, all of them, that I can succeed where their government has failed them."

Riaan arched a brow. "Dare I ask how you intend to see this to an end?"

"Even now I am forging an alliance with a powerful ally," he said proudly. "One who has the power to destroy all who oppose him."

"Oh? Who is it?"

"I will not say. Forgive me, but I think the less said the better."

Riaan studied him. Ronan held himself firm and unrelenting. She sighed in defeat. "Very well."

"Thank you, Mother."

"How have you been keeping? Are you getting enough sleep? Eating well?" Riaan looked about her. "I can see you don't occupy yourself with keeping your living space tidy. I certainly hope it's not because you devote all your time to this obsession with the Xandarians."

"I do not..am not obsessed," Ronan sputtered. "I eat and sleep and...do other things."

"Oh?" she looked at him expectantly.

"I...travel extensively. And...meet people. I meet many people."

"Yes? Tell me about these people you meet." Riaan folded her arms across her chest.

"I met someone just recently, in fact. Someone quite unique."

Riaan perked up at that. "You have? Who?"

"His name is Loki."

"Loki? That doesn't sound Kree."

"He isn't"

"You're involved with someone who is not Kree?" her face fell. "Oh Ronan, how could you?"

"It's not like that, Mother!" Ronan protested. "Loki's different. I don't care that he's not Kree."

"What?" Riaan was appalled. "You don't care that he's not Kree?"

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant...I meant..."

"Where is this Loki from?" Riaan's distressed expression changed to horror as another thought occurred to her. "Oh for the love of the Old Ones, he's not Centaurian is he?

"No!" Ronan rushed to assure her. "Why would you think that?"

She shot him a knowing look.

"That was years ago!" he protested, his cheeks flushing. "I was still a youth studying at the Academy. It was a bet."

"You said at the time it was an experiment."

Ronan nodded vigorously. "Yes. An experiment...on a bet."

"Hmmm."

"Loki is not Centaurian." Ronan struggled to get his mother's focus off past indiscretions. "I do not yet know where he's from, we've not had many occasions to speak. But I am hoping this will change. Soon."

Riaan stepped closer to her son, watching him intently. He tried not to fidget under her gaze. "Are you courting this Loki person," she wanted to know.

"No. Not as yet. Loki does not come any of the local systems. He seems to have no family nearby, but currently resides in the stronghold of a most powerful being. The very one I seek an alliance with, truth to be told. I must proceed cautiously. I would not risk losing my ally."

She considered this. "Yes, caution is good," she reasoned. "But you should be more concerned with not making your intended wait. You're not getting any younger, you know. Follow the rules of courtship. That's why they exist. If Loki has no family, then you must make your intentions known to the master of the domain in which he resides and ask for permission to court him."

Ronan tried to picture such a scene playing out with Thanos.

"Why are you making that face?"

"No reason, Mother."

Riaan gave him a suspicious look. "Are you sure this Loki isn't Centaurian?"

Ronan resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Yes, Mother."

 


	5. Chapter 5

Ronan stood in the middle of the empty city centre surveying his surroundings. It was simple, spacious square, full of overlapping pathways and lush greenery while hemmed in on all sides by multilevel buildings. Ronan's soldiers were sweeping through the area to eliminate any resistance they encountered.

It had been too long since Ronan conquered a world. In the past, every world he'd taken had been for the Kree Empire. This one he'd taken for himself. Blood pounded in his ears, the heady feeling of victory filling him with euphoria. He had forgotten this feeling. This glorious feeling. Dimmed only by his regret he had no one to share in it with him. Among Kree, victories like these were meant to be shared with the ones they loved.

Even from where he stood Ronan could see faces peeking out at him from the shelter of the surrounding buildings. Native residents hiding from their new master. No doubt believing if they stayed well away, let the soldiers take what they would, then the invaders would leave and they would be free to go about their lives as before. And they would. For now Ronan was only interested in the resources and information this planet offered. He did not have sufficient forces at his command to hold this world, nor did he have the inclination to amass them. But he would return for this place. Once Xandar was destroyed and he'd repaid his treasonous government with the death they deserved, he would build the Kree Empire anew. Stronger and greater than before. And this resource rich little world would be a part of it.

They just didn't know it yet.

"Master Ronan," Korath arrived as his side, his squadron fanning out around him. "This city has been secured. As have four others." Korath paused, his eyes focusing inward as they did when he was receiving a message. "Five others. We have control over the largest population centres on this continent. We will be ready to move on to the one north of here on your orders."

"Their leaders?" Ronan asked.

"Same as the others," Korath said. "We hold those who surrendered. The rest are dead."

It was as expected. Once Ronan crushed their defences, it was a matter of gaining control over the ones who had control. The defiant ones were eliminated. The ones smart enough to cede in the face of Kree superiority were valuable enough to keep alive. Those would be the ones who remembered him when Ronan returned to make this world part of his new empire.

"Good. Well done, Korath," Ronan said, eyes still sweeping around him. "Then we will..." Ronan stopped when something caught his eye. He looked closer. There.

"What is it?" Korath looked for himself, trying to see what had Ronan's attention.

Ronan crossed the centre without answering. Ignoring the winding pathways and small footbridges, he blazed directly across the square. When he reached the entrance to the building he sought, the door wouldn't move at first. He gave it a shove and it popped open with a sharp crack, the frame splintering and metal debris falling to the ground. Ronan pushed into a large room lined with glass displays filled with shiny, sparkling wares.

A startled gasp came from a pale little creature who was pressed up against one of the glass displays, watching as Ronan and his men filled up the shop. His face was narrow and strangely whiskered, his mouth opening and closing like he was about to speak but never making a sound. It made him look part fish.

Ronan smashed through the elaborate glass display sitting in the centre of the shop with his fist. It was this one that caught his eye through the window. Brushing away the glass impatiently he scooped up the lone gemstone set within and nestled on a bed of white silks. The stone had been cut in the shape of an oval and was brilliant red in colour. It looked small in the palm of his hand, but still larger than most gemstones he'd seen in his life. The stone sparkled as he turned it over and around, inspecting it from all angles.

"What is this?" Ronan asked.

The nervous little man was still hugging a nearby display until Ronan turned to glare at him. Korath moved over to loom over the man and herd him away from the display and closer to Ronan. The man hurried to speak then, tripping over his words. "That is a Xeminite stone, sir, uh, my lord, sir...they are commonly kn..known here as scarlet gems."

Ronan frowned, disappointed. "It is a common thing, then?" Surely something so beautiful could not be common?

"No, no, no, no!" the odd little creature stammered. "Scarlet gem is merely a com..common term for the name of, of, of the stone, you see. They are quite rare. And beautiful, of course. You see that your...yourself, yes? When you saw it. And broke my case. I...I...I could have opened the case. For you. If you wished. My lord. Sir."

Ronan moved closer to the shopkeeper, who gulped and tried to back away only to find his retreat blocked by Korath. The man twitched as Ronan towered over him and held the gem in his face. "Tell me more."

"What?" The man stared dumbly up at Ronan.

Ronan looked pointedly at the gem and back at the shopkeeper. "Tell. Me. More."

"Oh. Well. Oh. Let me see. Um. That is a Xeminite stone. As I said. I think," he fell silent for a moment, staring blankly at the stone before giving his head a quick shake. "Yes. They are so named for the mountain range where they are found. The Xeminite range. On the southern-most continent. If it's still there. The continent, that is. I am sorry they tried to blow up your ship. After you attacked them. Rude of them. Terribly rude," he giggled nervously. "Sorry. Very, very sorry."

"The gem," Ronan prodded.

The shopkeeper twitched, like he wouldn't mind so much if his skin could escape him and run away. "Yes. Yes, the gem. They come from the mountains. The Xeminite range. It follows the east coastline of Breiu. I said that already. Did I say that already? Um. Deep in the mountains. Mining them is terribly difficult and expensive. At least it used to be," he made a strangled sound in his throat.

Ronan waited for him to continue. When the little man did nothing but stare at the gem in Ronan's hand like he'd never seen it before, Ronan took a menacing step closer to him. "What else?"

The shopkeeper made another choking noise. "They're high...highly prized and valuable. There are many stories about these stones and the mountains they came from. They're said to have...have healing abilities."

Ronan turned the gem over again in his hand, looking closer for some indication of healing properties. "How does a stone heal?"

"What? Oh. It is just...um...said. A legend. Stories told over the ages. By people. Who live near the mountains. Lived. They say the stones emitted a healing energy. Probably not anymore," he laughed, high pitched and hysterical. "But they're just stories. Just...just...just things you tell people. It makes the item more interesting, you see. More...more alluring. A story sells things. But truly the stone's value is in its rarity and uniqueness. The colour, you see. The colour is unlike any other gem in our world."

The colour was what attracted Ronan to it through the window. Brilliant and deep. Like Hala's second sun. Like...

Ronan considered the smashed case he'd retrieved it from. Set alone from everything else in this shop. "Is there something special about this particular gem?"

"Um, no. Not really."

Ronan turned back on the shopkeeper with a glare.

The man's eyes widened and he gasped. He tried step back again. Korath was still there, but the man seemed startled to see him. "I said no? I meant to say - yes! I forgot. Silly me. That particular gem was hand-cut many...many centuries ago. It belonged to a dis...distant king who vanished during a violent foreign invasion. Ha, ha. Imagine that."

The shopkeeper looked between Korath and Ronan's faces and wilted. "Much was looted and lost in that war, including the gem. It only resurfaced recently. I...I bought it at auction. I am a collector as well, you see. And...and of course hav...having something so rare and beautiful in my shop can only be good for my business."

Ronan close his hand over the gemstone. "I am taking it."

The man nodded listlessly, as though he expected nothing less. "Would you like it gift-wrapped?"

  
  


*** * * * ***

  
  


The Dark Aster was celebrating. As much as it could, anyway. Ronan was keenly aware his followers could not celebrate properly, cut off as they were from their homes and families. But small parties still gathered where they could to give voice to their victory. To Ronan's victory.

If it felt hollow without their loved ones, no one spoke it aloud. Or if they did, it was said well away from Ronan's ears.

Upon return to the ship, Ronan made an announcement of his victory from the command post that carried across all Kree channels. A message to all those who supported him and a warning to those who dared oppose him. Ronan would have what he wanted and none could stop him. He promised death to any who tried.

He kept his ship above the newly conquered world. He would wait for everything brought back to the ship to be counted and organized, making sure they had supplies enough to carry them through many more long stretches isolated in space if need be. Tira and her team would begin searching through the databases they recovered for any usable information.

Unable and unwilling to try for rest, Ronan roamed his ship. It was not long before Korath appeared at his side, quietly keeping pace. Ronan was grateful to not feel the need to make conversation. He could pass many hours like this, hearing nothing but the steady thrum of ship's energy that reminded him he was where he needed to be. Even if it meant he was alone.

"How did you begin your courtship of Eluene?" Ronan asked suddenly.

If Korath was surprised by the abrupt and personal question, he didn't let it show. "As most do, I suppose. With her parents. I tried to petition just her mother at first, but it was quickly made clear that was unwelcome. I had to bring my request to both her parents. Alas, her father was a sub-commander in General Klim's fleet at the time. It made it somewhat difficult." Korath smiled at the memory.

Ronan snorted. "Poor fool."

"Yes. Luckily, he did survive the experience. It took two years, but finally he returned to Hala and I was permitted to visit soon after. They offered their blessing quickly enough. I think Eluene's mother knew how impatient we were becoming."

"It was a fast courtship then?"

Korath smirked. "As fast as it was possible and still be deemed proper. We may have broken one or two of the rules of courtship along the way."

"I see. Have you regrets?"

Korath shook his head. "None. She was my chosen until the day she was no longer. Now she is the chosen of another. I regret nothing." Korath glanced at Ronan sideways. "I mean not to presume, but why do you ask? Why now?"

Ronan thought it over. "I have courted little in my life. Have shared pleasures with many, but have never had a chosen. Much to the dismay of my mother."

Korath shrugged. "My own mother was displeased by the dissolution of my union with Eluene. She never misses the chance to tell me so."

Ronan laughed. "Your mother and mine would get along well."

"Let us make offerings to the Old Ones in hopes they never meet." Korath shuddered at the thought.

They both laughed, brief and loud, catching looks from those they passed in the corridor. They continued on, walking through one corridor to the next to next in companionable silence. Passing by the transport lifts and ignoring the occasional startled looks of crew members unused to seeing Ronan so far from the command deck. Ronan ignored them in favour of looking over his ship.

The Dark Aster was not Ronan's first command, but it was his most glorious posting to date in his career. The first of the most advanced and elite class of warships ever constructed. Intended as the flagship of a newly constructed fleet of warships that would change the face of the Kree military. Being given the command of what the Generals had heralded the "greatest technological and military achievement of our time" had the proudest moment of Ronan's life. His just reward for his unwavering service to his people. Even the betrayal of his government that followed could not dim Ronan's pride for his ship. If anything, his given command of the Dark Aster was surely proof the path he had chosen to follow was the right one. He knew he was not alone in thinking so.

"Where are we going next?" Korath hesitated. "Has Tira learned anything new about Thanos' Orb?"

"Not yet."

Ronan could hear the unspoken doubt in Korath's voice. He did not resent him for it, more assured of Korath's loyalty than any other. Korath's unease was a reflection of his wariness of Thanos and Ronan could not hold it against him. Not when he carried his own doubts about the Titan and the seemingly endless hunt for this mythical Orb that consumed both his time and resources. Ronan could not shake his own sense that Thanos was waiting for the chance to betray him.

But Ronan couldn't bring himself to back out of his alliance. Not now. Not when so many worked tirelessly to find information that would lead them to the Orb. Not when there was even a chance Thanos would honour their arrangement and wipe out Xandar.

Not when it meant he would never see Loki again.

Ronan's steps faltered at the thought. Korath gave him a curious look, but said nothing. Loki lived in Thanos' domain. If Ronan failed, he would never be permitted to see him again. Even if he succeeded, after Thanos destroyed Xandar, would Ronan ever be allowed back on Sanctuary? Or would Thanos rescind Ronan's access to his region of space upon the conclusion of their alliance? Ronan didn't know. His heart began to beat faster, his scalp prickled, and his guts churned.

He didn't know.

 

*** * * * ***

 

"Explain."

For the smallest fraction of a moment before his mind could finish processing what was being seen and heard, Loki was confused. Thanos looking down at him. The Other glaring at him from the side. And Nebula. Nebula stood near her father with a smug smile fixed on her face and a fur-lined cloak in her hands. It all then became blindingly clear.

"Thanos asked you a question. Answer him - now!" the Other snarled.

A small, rebellious part of Loki wanted to point out that in fact Thanos had not asked him a question. But the part of him that didn't want to spend the day planted on his face at Thanos' feet screaming until his voice failed him was stronger. This time, at least.

"Ah, yes. The cloak. What do you want to know?" Loki asked, keeping his tone unconcerned and unchallenging.

Nebula spoke up. "Tell my father how you came to acquire it. Tell him how Ronan went to meet with you - in secret - and how you later felt the need to hide the evidence of your meeting." She held up the cloak in triumphant, looking to Thanos for approval.

Thanos didn't spare her a glance. He kept his attention focused wholly on Loki.

"I'm sorry, but I fail to see how such a meeting could be termed secret since you're the one who told Ronan how to find me," Loki pointed out.

Nebula glanced quickly at her father. "That is hardly the issue. Ronan sought you out. He gave you this. And you hid it from my father, whom you owe your life. Explain to him how..."

"Enough, Nebula. Do not presume to speak for me," Thanos spoke calmly. Nebula snapped her mouth shut and looked away, visibly drooping at the small rebuke. Thanos leaned slightly forward as he looked down at Loki. "I will not repeat myself."

Loki answered without hesitation. "The cloak did come from Ronan. He gave it to me."

"You met with him?"

"No. Well, yes. But only because he sought me out," Loki hurried to point out. "It was not my choosing."

Thanos leaned back. "Ronan sought you out? Why?"

"I do not know."

"He's lying!" Nebula protested, stepping forward."Father, clearly he's planning something."  

"Be silent!" Thanos turned to glare at Nebula. She looked away again. "Nebula, you have brought this matter to my attention. You do not need to remain."

Nebula's eyes snapped back to Thanos, but he had already turned his attention away from her and back to Loki. She stiffened, but made no protest as she marched away.

"Leave the cloak."

She faltered for a moment, looking down at her hands as if surprised she still held the item in question. Without verbally acknowledging Thanos' command, she altered her path just enough to shove it at Loki as she passed by. He reached out for it automatically and held it awkwardly as she moved past him, knocking into his shoulder as she did so.

"I hope my father makes you put it on for Ronan after he finishes stripping you of your flesh," she hissed in his ear. "I hear the Kree like that sort of thing."

She was gone before Loki could voice a retort. He had a remark ready to throw out after her about what a shame daddy wouldn't permit her to stay and watch him work. It died on his tongue when he caught sight of the glint in Thanos' eyes. He clearly heard Nebula's comment. A slow, small smile crept across the Titan's face.

When Loki was still a small child, Odin began teaching him and Thor to hunt. Much to Thor's dismay, it was years before they were permitted actually hunt anything. Odin devoted that time to teaching them to track and observe how animals hunted their prey, and also how sometimes the prey eluded them. The push and pull between prey and predator always fascinated Loki. While on its face, it seemed the predators should always reign over lesser creatures, but it was obviously not so.

 _There cannot be predators without prey, nor prey without predators. There must be balance between them_ , Odin had explained so long ago. _The universe demands it. Without it, all things would cease to be._

It took Loki many long years before he understood this. As a child, he was merely struck by the way predators hunted, methodical and relentless in their task. He once watched while a snake slid silently through the grass up to its prey. Never wavering from its target. How its victim, a mouse, seemed unaware until the moment it suddenly froze in place. Aware of the danger too late. The mouse could have taken the chance to flee, but it remained still and dumb until the inevitable jaws snapped shut around it.

Later, he asked his father why the mouse didn't at least try to run.

 _All creatures know their place in the universe, Loki,_ Odin had said. _This one knew its time had come. In another place, another time, another mouse will make its clever escape and the snake will go hungry. Until it finds the next mouse._

_But it isn't fair, Father._

Odin had laughed softly at that before laying a gentle hand atop Loki's head. _I know it may not seem it. It's all right to feel for the poor, pitiful creature consumed by something far more powerful than itself. But it's all part of the universe's balance, Loki. Remember, there must always be balance._

Standing before Thanos now, Loki never felt that mouse's last moments so keenly.

"So," Thanos said. "Ronan the Accuser went to see you. At your waterfall."

Loki nodded stiffly, his finger clenching in the cloak's material.

"I'd wondered why he returned. Was that the first time you spoke with him?" 

Loki wasn't foolish enough to think Thanos didn't already know the answer. Or that Nebula had told him anything he didn't already know. "No. We have spoken before, briefly." 

"I see," Thanos drew his words out slowly. "And he has given you a gift." Thanos gestured at the cloak, smile still in place.

"He did," Loki forced himself to speak. "But only in an attempt to gain favour with you, I'm sure."

"Oh?" Thanos tilted his head. He looked amused. "How so?"

Loki felt the jaws drawing closer to him. "He mistakenly believes I am in a position to elevate his standing with you. It's a common enough tactic. I've seen it many times in...," he faltered.

"Yes?"

"In Odin's court," Loki choked out. "It's obvious Ronan's interest exists only in as much he thinks I can do for him. Which shows him the fool if he believes I have influence here."

Thanos made a thoughtful noise, as if he might agree with Loki's assessment. "Show me the cloak."

Loki blinked. "What?"

Thanos waved a hand at him. "All this fuss and I've not seen it properly. Show it to me."

Loki unfolded and shook the cloak out with numb fingers. He held it up for Thanos' inspection.

"Put it on."

Loki ignored the tremor in his hands as he clumsily threw the cloak over his shoulders, holding it in place rather than trying to hold his fingers steady enough to fasten it up. He looked back up at Thanos, desperately trying to mask his growing sense of dread. Some part of him was aware of the Other moving nearby, whispering to someone or something. Loki couldn't tear his gaze away from Thanos to look.

Thanos stared at him unblinking for a long moment before cutting through the quiet with a bark of laughter and sharp clap of his hands. Loki couldn't hold back a flinch at the sound. "Very nice! Ronan has fine taste for a fool. I do hope you offered him proper thanks for his generous gift?"

The Other took a step forward before Loki could think to open his mouth in answer. "Master, forgive my instrusion, but someone approaches your domain."

Thanos glanced over at his servant, then out across asteroid field, searching. When he found what he sought, he laughed again. "Speak of the fool." Thanos' smile widened. He leaned forward to look down at Loki once more."Well, princeling, perhaps I may have finally found a use for you."

Loki couldn't speak, couldn't move. He stared up at Thanos, still and dumb. Waiting for the jaws that would snatch him up and swallow him whole.

_Poor, pitiful creature._

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the long wait between updates. It's terrible to leave the babies so neglected. I'll try not to do that again. Enjoy the update and please know that after this chapter - Stuff Starts Happening™. Brace yourselves. :D

Ronan was nervous.

It was a strange feeling. One foreign to him and thus difficult to recognize in the days leading up to his return to Sanctuary. Once he made the decision to return to Sanctuary, he found the wait almost unbearable. He passed the time wandering the corridors of the Dark Aster, restlessness making it hard for him to settle anywhere. He tried retreating into his quarters. Tried reading without focusing on the words. Tried writing without being able to concentrate. He abandoned both endeavours. Pacing about his quarters quickly grew tiresome and made him restless. Back out into the corridors he went, pacing and inspecting his ship. Endless loops throughout every section, looking and touching everything. Letting the Dark Aster ground him. Sometimes Korath kept pace alongside him, occasionally casting him worried glances without speaking, but mostly Ronan walked alone.

When he wasn't wandering through the ship's corridors, he was in Tira's workspace. Demanding updates, looking over the shoulders of her workers, studying the screens of data they worked laboriously to translate and analyze as if he could hurry the process along by the force of his will.

Tira treated him with respect with every encounter, but as the days rolled past her respect was edged with annoyance. Their latest meeting was no different.

"Have you not yet finished translating these records? Do they mention the Orb? Why is it taking so long?"

"As I have told you - repeatedly - the translation will take more time," Tira said. "I am convinced the story about these ancient peoples 'gift from the gods' is a history. These last records we recovered reaffirm it. These people are lost to history, but their history has survived them. This same story was found in the archives from this last world and it's clearly not of their people. The curator I spoke to claimed it was found within a capsule that fell from the sky centuries ago. They didn't know what it was or who sent it, so they put in within a museum."

"Did you take it?" Ronan asked.

She gave him a look that told him what she thought of his question. "Of course I did. I recognized the writing on it right away and wasn't about to leave it collecting dust on a world of primitives when it could be useful to our cause."

Ronan nodded, pleased he would not have to return to that annoying little planet before he was ready to conquer it properly.

"You can see it's the same story as the one found in those outposts. One important enough the people who wrote it sent out to other worlds. The Xandarian outposts where we first came across the story had no records as to how they came across it. It was one file among countless others and no indication if they all came from the same place. Xandarian record keeping is just as worthless as the rest of their culture. But at least it gave us a start." Tira gestured at the panels before her. Ronan knew enough about languages to know what he was seeing on each panel was distinct from every other. He recognized not one of the languages, and he knew many. He knew Tira did, too.

"So far there are thousands of records in at least twelve different languages," Tira said, her face beaming. "And likely more we've not yet discovered. Most of these languages we've never seen before. Some we have, but have largely been lost to time as have the people who used them. We've been able to read very little and we have not been able to pinpoint just where these people made their home. We must reconstruct their languages before we can have accurate translations. Then we'll know what this gift is. Perhaps even where they kept it."

Ronan tried to look interested, but he couldn't feel the excitement Tira was projecting. All he felt was a growing knot in his belly. "Can you not make out any information about the Orb? Something I can offer to Thanos?"

"Not without knowing the languages first."

"How much longer?"

"When we have finished recreating the languages of an ancient people lost for untold millennia, you will be the first to know."

"Is there no way to hurry the process?"

"Tripling the resources I have at my disposal would do nicely," she said mildly, her enthusiasm dimming in the face of his impatience. "I have made use of all my contacts. None were much help with this matter. Finding someone or something in this galaxy with knowledge of these people and their languages - any of them - would also be welcome."

Ronan shifted his weight. He'd already given Tira all the resources he could. He had no complaint with the quality of her work. She was as ruthlessly efficient as any other Kree scientist he'd known. It was just... "Can you not simply work faster?"

She stared at him for a long moment before politely asking him to leave. He did.

Ronan had nothing to offer Thanos. Months of scouring the galaxy with no results. No news, no Orb. Yet he was returning to Sanctuary anyway. Empty handed. Even worse - he was going with a mind to ask Thanos for more. He wondered if Thanos would strike him down on the spot for his audacity. Yet still Ronan would march willingly to his doom for one reason.

Loki.

Ronan needed to see him. He couldn't explain why. Couldn't explain the mad impulse driving him back to Sanctuary and the non-existent mercy of Thanos just for the chance to see Loki. To speak to him. It occurred to him Thanos may not even allow it. May not allow Ronan access to Sanctuary. Or may allow Ronan to have an audience only with him. Loki may not even be present. He's only ever been in attendance for Ronan's meetings with Thanos the one time. All their other encounters were by chance, save for the last one. And Ronan only found him then when one of Thanos' daughters pointed him in the right direction. What if this time he couldn't find him? Ronan had no idea where Loki's quarters were even located on Sanctuary. And even if he did, it would be horribly inappropriate to intrude upon him there. Even more so than coming upon him unannounced while he was naked and bathing.

Ronan smiled at the memory. Unexpected and inappropriate as it was, Ronan wouldn't trade away seeing Loki in the waterfall for anything. Standing there, so relaxed and carefree with the water cascading down his lovely blue skin, Loki looked like he had stepped straight out of a story told about the Ancients. Leimirre, the Ancient whose beauty was so breathtaking it was said countless Kree, both male and female, found their deaths while in the pursuit of him. Drowning in deep waters, falling off steep cliffsides, asphyxiating in high altitudes, all while trying to follow wherever Leimirre led them. But Leimirre wasn't real, just a figure of legend used to teach Kree to use caution in their pursuits, to not be blinded by lust or greed.

Or ambition.

Loki was no cautionary myth. He was real. Someone Ronan had seen and spoken to. Ronan was not so foolish as to delude himself he was already in love. Loki was beautiful yes, captivating even, but Ronan still knew little about him. But there was something. A pull. Be it attraction or something else, something more, Ronan desperately wanted to know Loki better. As the days fell away the closer he got to Sanctuary, there were moments when Ronan felt the anticipation of seeing Loki almost as strongly as the anticipation of seeing Xandar destroyed.

Those moments left him breathless.

Courtships among Kree were usually initiated a pair already knew each other well enough to want to begin formalities. It was rare for two people who knew little of one another to enter courtship unless they were pressured to do so by the ambitions of their families. Rarer still for one of those people to not be Kree. His mother had advised him to adhere to the rules regardless. As much as he was loathe to defy her on such matters, Ronan was unsure how he was to do so given the circumstances.

Ronan didn't even know how Loki came to be on Sanctuary. He remembered Gamora's words from when she was sent to aid Ronan in his search. Loki was lost, she said. Far from his home and offered sanctuary by Thanos himself. That in itself was something to think on. Ronan did not think Thanos as a being who did anything without a reason. What was his reason for sheltering someone lost and far from his home? Where was Loki's home? Was he from this distant Yggdrasil Tira told him of?  And if so, how did he happen upon Thanos' territory of all places?

Ronan wished he knew the answers. He wished he knew something, anything, of Loki's background. His home, his family. Surely asking for permission to court from Loki's parents would be far simpler than asking it of Thanos? Because no matter how often he tried to picture it in his mind's eye, Ronan could not see himself asking this of the Mad Titan. There was no scenario Ronan could imagine that would end well for him. But perhaps he could ask for permission to visit more often? Or approach it in a manner it seemed he required consultation regarding the Orb? It would be a dangerous deception, but this way he would have a chance to see Loki. Have the chance to know him better. By then, Ancients willing, Ronan will have found Thanos' Orb and a way to seek Thanos' consent to court. Or better still, seek it directly from Loki's kin.

Ronan was confident in his ability to make a good impression on the parents of a potential mate. He'd been born on Hala of pure Kree blood, as had his parents and their parents and their parents' parents. He was from a prosperous province and had been well educated before entering his initial military training. From there his education and training continued and he excelled in all fields. And, up until he broke from his government, Ronan's military service was exemplary. He was an Accuser, as his father and his father's father had been before him. Ronan was living the life a good Kree was born to live, one others dreamed of.

Once he succeeded in his mission to wipe out Xandar, Ronan's name would become legend and he would be in a position to accomplish so much more. The life he could offer Loki would be a comfortable one. He was not a General - yet - but he could provide much for a mate. For a family. If he could only meet them, he was certain Loki's family would be impressed by what Ronan had to offer.

If the Old Ones favoured Ronan as well as they always have, he would soon see Xandar wiped from existence and be granted the honour of courting the one that visited him each night in his dreams.  

 

***  *  *  *  ***

 

"Loki! My baby!"

In a moment's breath Loki was swept up in the familiar warm embrace of soft silks and perfumed hair. Folding himself into Frigga's ferocious hug was as instinctive as breathing. He couldn't have stopped himself if he wanted to - and he didn't want to.

"You're safe now, you're home," Frigga stoked his hair with one hand, her other arm wrapped possessively around him. He went limp against her.

"Mother," he choked out on a sob.

"Shhhh," she crooned. She swayed gently from side to side, rocking him in her arms. "It's all right. You're safe. It's over. You're safe."

Loki clung to her, letting her warmth and love seep into his skin and down into his bones. Clung to her words, repeated over and over with the comforting hand stroking his hair. _Safe, safe._

"Brother."

Not once in his life had Loki ever heard Thor sound so hesitant. The sheer novelty of it was enough for him to pull away from Frigga a fraction enough to turn his head and see Thor approaching them. Thor's face was a riot of emotion - joy, trepidation, fear, hope. Hope won out as Thor reached an uncertain hand toward him. Without hesitation Loki seized his brother's forearm, letting his empty hand speak for him as he wrapped his fingers around Thor's exposed, vulnerable skin. _I hurt you before. I won't now. I'm sorry. Forgive me my mistakes._

Thor returned his grip for only the amount of time it took for him to step forward and wrap both arms around Loki and sweep him into a tight hug against his chest. "Welcome home, little brother. I have missed you."

Loki hugged him back. "And I, you," he said. He meant it.

When they pulled away, still holding onto each other's arms, he could see Frigga beaming at them. Thor loosed one hand to cup the back of Loki's neck, the affectionate gesture Thor had given him since they were youths. Loki basked in the warm comfort of Thor's fingers pressing against his neck as well as his smile. A smile of love. Friendship. Family. Brotherhood. A smile reserved for Loki alone.

"My son."

A stab of unease made Loki reluctant to turn away from Thor and Frigga's welcoming love.

"Loki. My son." Repeated. A voice as familiar as the sun and stars in the sky. But a voice unsteady. Uncertain. That was more unnatural than anything Loki had ever known. Loki steeled himself to look at Odin approaching their reunion. Tears prickled at his eyes again, unbidden.

He wasn't the only one.

Odin's lone eye shone with unspilled tears as he opened his arms. "You have come home."

Loki tore himself away from Thor and stepped into Odin's outstretched arms. Odin wrapped him up in an embrace rivaling Frigga's in its fierceness. "My son. My boy. My Loki." Odin repeated over and over as Loki wept in his arms.

"It's all right," Odin said. "I have you. I will not let you fall. I will never again let you fall." Odin's arms tightened as Loki wept harder.

Before long Frigga's arms, too, were around him. And Thor's reassuring hand was back on his neck. Swept up in the love and forgiveness of his family, Loki could only sob helplessly as they crooned to him, soothing away his hurts and fright.

 _All will be well,_ they said. _You're safe now._

_Safe. Safe._

_What is safe?_

_There's no such thing. Not for you._

Loki came back to himself alone, sitting in the small rocky alcove Thanos had sent him to wait. He tried not to shake, struggled not to let fear overwhelm him even as Loki felt it lapping at his heels and his mind threatened to flee.  

Much to his shame, Loki had ended up screaming himself hoarse at Thanos' feet after all. Loki was surprised to find shame something he still possessed. He thought Thanos had long burned it out of him. Only the Other was present when Thanos grew bored while waiting for the Kree warship to approach his domain. Awaiting Ronan. Loki waited to be dismissed. Waited to be sent back to his hovel in the ground to wait for his fate to be decided.

Thanos had something else in mind.

Loki choked and twisted on his cries while Thanos ripped him from one skin to another without giving him a chance to breath in between.

 _"I wonder if Ronan would like the cloak better on Aesir skin?"_ Thanos had said as casually as if he were asking an opinion on the weather. _"Or perhaps it's the blue he favors, you do almost match. But then it does make a striking contrast to all that pale Aesir flesh Odin gave you. No, I think blue suits it best."_

Time bled together like a dream, like an echo once heard and dimly remembered. Loki's awareness faded in and out. Thanos and the Other were the only ones there. Then Loki was surrounded by other Chitauri, the Other was gone. He was lifted from the ground and carried away. He could feel nothing but Thanos' eyes on him.

Thanos' laughter rang in Loki's ears as he was being carried away.

_"Do not worry yourself, Prince Runt. I will deal with your Kree admirer on your behalf. It would be my honour."_

Loki could not even give voice to a denial that Ronan was any such thing. _He wants something from you, not me!_ he'd wanted to scream at Thanos, throw the cloak at him, throw his knife. Scream more with his broken voice. Scream until finally he was heard. Until someone came to his aid.

 _Mother. Thor. Father. Please._ Loki had remained silent as he was carted away.

"Stay. Until Master summons you," hissed at him as he was dropped on the ground. Skittering off as suddenly as they appeared. Loki obeyed without thought. He found a rocky shelf to sit upon. He stayed. The cloak still around him, clutched in stiff fingers. Loki left it be.

He wasn't sure where he was. Hadn't been aware enough to take note of where he'd been carried. He didn't think it had been far. Nothing looked familiar, not that things ever did on these lifeless rocks. Dark, narrow rocky corridors branched off in three directions from where Loki sat. He saw no one, but every so often heard distant chittering. Not so alone them. Thanos making sure his puppet stayed on the shelf where he'd been placed until Thanos felt like jerking his strings again. Not that there was anywhere for Loki to go. He hadn't noticed or felt a jumpgate along the way. And he knew better than to run when Thanos was planning something.

_"I think I may have finally found a use for you."_

Something was coming. Thanos had chosen his future and Loki could see nothing ahead but darkness. Loki wasn't stupid. He'd known all along this day would come. Loki wished it had come in those early days, when he was too disoriented from his unexpected survival, too out of his mind with despair and anger. Then Thanos could have set him on any task and Loki would have embraced it with both arms just for the taste of being free of everything he once was. To shake away all the chains of who Loki once was - son, brother, prince. _Wanted. Loved._ To lash out, to make others hurt as he'd been hurt. To rebel and rage and revel in whatever reckless path Thanos set him on.

To be free.

To know he was alive. That Death had reached out for him and Loki slipped away from Her grasp.

_Death didn't want you. Thanos does._

_Which is better?_

Loki knew the answer.

_Hel would be kinder._

Loki's eyes drifted upward. He wondered if he was somewhere below where Thanos sat, perched on his throne carved from the dead rock of whatever world he destroyed to make this place. Loki knew this was a truth he'd long been ignoring. Thanos didn't just turn an asteroid field into his home, he made one.

Out of someone else's.

This was the remnants of a world. Loki knew it with every breath he breathed where there should be no air. Every world had its own power, its own lifesblood that ran through every living thing it possessed. This world had not died a natural death. Its death came to it suddenly.

Violently.

Fear. Shock. Horror. Pain. Everything felt at its abrupt end was soaked into the foundations of this world before it was blown apart. And Thanos, the Mad Titan, bled it out and then basked in its remains. Building his kingdom on the obliterated remains of the dead. Sitting on his throne carved from what once thrived with life. Sometimes Loki woke to nightmares of screams that were not his own. Even on days he could not conjure up even simple light, he could still feel the echo of fear not his own.

Magic was a gift, Loki had been taught to believe. Magic was an extension of one's being. Magic was life. But here? On Sanctuary it was a curse. Here, having magic was to know death. To feel it brushing against you.

Loki wondered if Thanos knew he could sense what had been done to this place. Wondered if that was part of why Thanos kept him here. To have a witness able to appreciate the magnitude of what he could do. If Thanos wanted someone still alive to feel the dead all around them.

_If he stayed here, he risked going as mad as Thanos is._

_If he wasn't there already - perhaps it wasn't Thanos' victims that haunted him._

_Perhaps it was his own._

Part of Loki's mind shied away from the thought. Another part helpfully pointed out that to the Frost Giants, Loki was no different than the madman who destroyed this former world. In fact, Loki was worse. Thanos killed and destroyed because he could. That was what he was. Loki did it because of what his victims represented.

Him.

The world that birthed him. The people who shared his blood. Everything he hated with a vicious rage as he tried to destroy them while everything he loved was washed away in the wave of lies.

Heat prickled in his eyes. Loki tried to blink away the tears. _How strange - Frost Giants can cry._ He wondered how many cried out in fear and pain as Asgard's Mad King rained death down on them. Did he kill as many as Thanos had here? Less? More?

How was Loki any better than Thanos? Or Ronan, another madman who sought an end to a world?

_What had he done?_

Loki sobbed once before forcing himself to stop.

The chittering increased suddenly. Loki listened. They were drawing closer to where he sat.

Dread curled in Loki's stomach. His thoughts began to race in senseless directions, panic gripping him as he tried to think his way free. He dug his fingernails into his palms to ground himself. Closed his eyes and forced his breathing to slow, his heart to stop racing. There had to be a way out. Surely there was something - anything - Loki could think to offer Thanos. Someway to distract him. There had to be a way to escape this rock and leave it and all its wretchedness behind.

Perhaps he could offer to conquer a world on Thanos' behalf? With an army he could do that.

_Butcher._

Or set out to destroy Thanos' enemies?

_Murderer._

Or find him treasures? Something. There had to be something. Something other than being dangled in front of another monster for Thanos' amusement. Like a mouse in front of a snake.

Loki's heart began to pound anew.

_Run. Stop sitting there frozen, you stupid fool. Get up and run. As fast as you can. As far as you can._

But there was nowhere to go other than the Void all around them. Loki remained seated. Silent and still. Unconscious of what he what he was doing, he pulled the cloak tighter around him. At least it was warm.

Apparently even a Frost Giant could feel the creeping chill of fear.

Loki waited. He didn't wait long.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you missed it on Tumblr, there is lovely fanart for this fic! Both pieces done by the fabulous Foreverlokid, whom many of you will recognize as this ship's co-captain. She's responsible for launching the prompt that spawned this tiny - yet fiercesome - ship. They can be found [here](http://foreverlokid.tumblr.com/post/136415248831/as-his-long-stride-ate-up-the-ground-he-caught) and [here.](http://foreverlokid.tumblr.com/post/136430140061/how-unhospitable-of-me-thanos-mocked-ronan)


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